KCS Officer on a Train event in Oklahoma

Kansas City Southern (KCS) and the Poteau Police Department hosted an Officer on a Train event on March 14 to promote public safety at railroad crossings in Poteau, Okla.

In an Officer on a Train event, KCS works with local law enforcement to bring officers into a locomotive cab for a real-time perspective of motorist and pedestrian activity as a train moves through the community. Meanwhile, other law enforcement officers are stationed along the railroad right-of-way, watching for crossing and trespasser violations and issuing citations.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), three out of four crashes occur within 25 miles of a driver's home and half occur within five miles of their home. A comparison of statistics from NHTSA and the Federal Railroad Administration reveals that a motorist's collision with a train is far more likely to result in a fatality than a collision between two motor vehicles.

"With statistics like these, it makes sense to approach grade-crossing collisions and trespassing incidents as a community issue," said KCS Public Safety Director Allen Pepper. "Working with local law enforcement to raise awareness about the importance of safety at highway-rail grade crossings and the dangers of trespassing on railroad property is simply the best way to make a marked difference in this important public safety matter."